


Springs the wood anew

by tetsubinatu



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-30
Updated: 2009-12-30
Packaged: 2017-10-05 12:35:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/41770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tetsubinatu/pseuds/tetsubinatu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin and Gaius have a family moment.</p><p><i>The grave is marked with a simple stone, carved with a symbol that Merlin recognises as ambiguous at best, a symbol of the old religion which has been adopted by the new.</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Springs the wood anew

"Yes?" Merlin says innocently. Too innocently. His face is flushed and the bedclothes are lumped in suspicious disorder.

Gaius opens his mouth and closes it slowly. "I'm going for a walk," he says eventually.

"It's pouring!" Merlin exclaims. He winces and swings his foot under his bed. There might be the sound of a grunt.

Gaius pauses, his hand poised to close the door. "I always go on the first day of Spring," he says with the flat tone that means he isn't persuadable on this issue.

Merlin glances from the black sky to his elderly mentor. "You'll catch your death. Can't it wait until tomorrow?" But Gaius just shakes his head and closes the door.

* * *

Merlin joins him within a few minutes, catching Gaius half-way across the courtyard. At least Gaius is wearing a thick cloak, unlike Merlin who is drenched within seconds. The rain isn't particularly cold, but it is very heavy.

"Right, I'm coming with you," Merlin says, and Gaius smiles at him from the depths of his hood.

"I was going to ask you if you'd like to, actually, and then I realised that you had better activities in mind," he says mildly.

Merlin can feel the blush spreading across his face and neck. "Er... Where are we going?" he sputters, and sees Gaius decide to let him get away with the diversion.

"To visit Ardith."

Now Merlin knows their destination. He has seen the graveyard behind the Cathedral many times, but he has never had cause to go there before. "I don't have anything," he says quietly, realising for the first time that the flowers in Gaius' basket aren't potions ingredients but a bouquet.

"She won't mind." Merlin peers at him, but Gaius seems happy for his company, so he flattens his hair against the rain and keeps walking.

The grave is marked with a simple stone, carved with a symbol that Merlin recognises as ambiguous at best, a symbol of the old religion which has been adopted by the new. Gaius places the bouquet carefully at its base, almost patting it.

"This is Merlin, Hunith's son," he says to the grave marker. "I've told you about him. He's a good boy really." There's a long pause while the rain falls and Merlin looks at the old stone, older than he is by a good decade, he calculates. Ardith died when Hunith was still a child. Hunith's memories of her sister are few and precious, and Merlin has grown up with tales of her beauty and gentle sweetness.

"I still miss you," Gaius says to his wife. A raindrop slides down his face. He sighs once and then they turn and go back to the castle.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Arthur says crankily when Merlin serves him lunch. "You look like a drowned rat and I have work to do this afternoon."

"Family obligations," Merlin says, gently biting the curve of his neck as he serves the bread. "I'll make up for it this evening, I promise."

Arthur tilts his head appraisingly. "Really?"

"We should make good use of the time we have," Merlin states with an unexpected intensity.

Arthur nods, looking at him a little curiously and then pushes a raspberry into Merlin's mouth. "Excellent," he says. "I have some very good ideas."


End file.
